Leave the outboard in situ or lift off?

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I have a Shrimper with an outboard in an inboard well. Ive spent a few seasons removing it from the well and stowing in a locker as advised. However it's in and out of the fixers all the time. I'm thinking about keeping it upright and in the well from now on. The leg will be permanently in the sea. Ive no electrics on board and sit on a swing mooring. Any reason why I shouldn't do this ?
 
Having had a similar set up with a 9.9hp Yamaha I was tempted to leave it in the well meaning the leg was submerged continuously. Bad move, the water intakes blocked in no time both outside and inside the fine sieves. The whole leg bacame covered in barnacles including the intricate bits of the through prop exhaust outlet.

A possible solution I considered was to manoeuvre a waterproof bag over the submerged leg when the motor was in situ. One of the cheap grab bags available in aldi/lidl would be fine. With the top of the bag above the waterline the water in the bag could then be pumped out at least below the level of the delicate bits. In the end this was not possible in my boat as there was too little access around the outboard leg in the well.
 
I have a Honda 10hp in my 'Snappie' 's well and often it gets left in due to sheer weight. Over 50kg, so it's a pain to lug around. Water intakes do need clearing from time to time unfortunately.
I can't think of a better solution to be honest.
 
out board

As said keep pulling that o/b out of the water. Perhaps you could come up with a design which just lifts the o/b vertically out of the water then put a cover over the exposed parts. Or go for a transom bracket where you can tilt it out of the water. good luck olewill
 
I have a similiar arrangement with a Mariner 4HP 4-stroke on a Crabber 17 on a drying mooring. The outboard locker is only suitable for a smaller 2 stroke. I've not had any problems with the water intake clogging up (I've got an old toothbrush somewhere on the boat for this). Based on last years experience I now anti-foul the leg and get a couple of spare anodes as they only last a few months when its immersed in salt water most of the time.
 
I would add that if you have to go through the contortions I need to to get it in the locker, this will lead to far more problems than leaving it in the well. "Lesser of evils" as my friendly outboard motor mechanic says.
 
Thanks all and Nigel in particular given your very relevant experience. Shifting to 20+ kg while bouncing around and doing so carefully in and out of lockers is bound to cause injury to man or machine! I left the motor in situ on Sat. We'll see how things go. I'd also pondered getting a much lighter 2 stroke and using it for the tender and then transferring if required...
 
I have a Selva 6hp 2 stroke in a well on my Kingfisher 20. This will be the first full season as I purchased the boat only last August. My boat is on a drying mooring which must help a bit . I dont plan to take the o/b out of the well . I am a bit concerned about the size of the sacrificial anode on the engine as it looks minute. Would an anode attached to the boat in the well help or is this a naive proposition? If I get trouble with the water intake I would hope to clear them manually.
 
andrewbartlett said:
I have a Selva 6hp 2 stroke in a well on my Kingfisher 20. This will be the first full season as I purchased the boat only last August. My boat is on a drying mooring which must help a bit . I dont plan to take the o/b out of the well . I am a bit concerned about the size of the sacrificial anode on the engine as it looks minute. Would an anode attached to the boat in the well help or is this a naive proposition? If I get trouble with the water intake I would hope to clear them manually.
Click to expand...

You could drill a hole in the plate and attach an additional anode - I haven't done that as would void warranty on 2011 vintage engine and work on replacing anode every few months
 
NigelCraig said:
You could drill a hole in the plate and attach an additional anode - I haven't done that as would void warranty on 2011 vintage engine and work on replacing anode every few months
Click to expand...

We have done precisely that on a brand new 2012 vintage engine on the advice of the dealer. No suggestion of any warranty issues, quite the opposite
 
I have an Anderson 22 with an outboard well; I would never dream of leaving the engine ( 5hp Mariner 2 stroke ) in the well for a sail of over 5 minutes, the drag and turbulence would be ridiculous, easily knocking over 1 knot off the average passage speed.

I always equate the few novice people who sail an Anderson with an engine fitted full time as 'like flying a Spitfire with the undercarriage down' !

A boat with a relatively flush hull - with outboard well fairing plug fitted - is also much less likely to pick up any unkindly unseamanlike distributed lobster pot buoys & lines.

Corrosion is also a factor, I cringe when hearing of outboards left in all season....
 
Fire99 said:
Don't suppose you have any pics of your outboard with the 'additional' anodes?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately not. Plenty of pics of the shiny new engine, not one of which shows the additional anode!

The additional anode is simply screwed on top of the cavitation plate having (of course) removed the paint under where it is fitted to ensure a good electrical connection. It's about twice the size of the factory fitted "button" (for want of a better description) anode on the lower end of the outboard leg

I agree with everything Seaject says except that removing the outboard from the well on Brigantia is a real struggle (not something I could do on my own) and when removed there is simply nowhere, other than in the cabin, to stow it. Ideally, we'd be able to lift it up clear of the water but even that isn't simple as it only just (with much cursing and swearing) fits down the well in the first place!

Finding a solution is a work in progress, meanwhile it'll just have to take its chances
 
CreakyDecks said:
Mine stays in its well. I can buy a secondhand outboard a lot cheaper than I can buy a new back.
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:):):):):):)

I came to the same conclusion when I had one. Mine was a 9hp Yamaha twin which was powerful but heavy.

I love the idea mentioned, of rigging up a sack to give the engine an overcoat and pump the water out.

The antifoul for ali is not as powerful as the copper stuff but definitely worth giving it a go. I felt it helped.

Probably also worth looking into a two bladed prop that is well matched to the boat and engine. Should align north and south with the leg under sail and cut down on drag.
 
Brigantia said:
Unfortunately not. Plenty of pics of the shiny new engine, not one of which shows the additional anode!

The additional anode is simply screwed on top of the cavitation plate having (of course) removed the paint under where it is fitted to ensure a good electrical connection. It's about twice the size of the factory fitted "button" (for want of a better description) anode on the lower end of the outboard leg

I agree with everything Seaject says except that removing the outboard from the well on Brigantia is a real struggle (not something I could do on my own) and when removed there is simply nowhere, other than in the cabin, to stow it. Ideally, we'd be able to lift it up clear of the water but even that isn't simple as it only just (with much cursing and swearing) fits down the well in the first place!

Finding a solution is a work in progress, meanwhile it'll just have to take its chances
Click to expand...

No worries but many thanks for the info. Other than the anodes, it appears I'm in virtually the same situation as yourself.
Lugging a 50+kg Outboard around the cockpit of a 23ft yacht is no mean feat, especially since the Honda is almost bereft of any 'grab' areas.

Think i'm going to copy your route with the Anodes. The Honda originals are pretty diddy..

Nik
 
Hang on a minute; a 50kg outboard on a 23' boat ?

Have a heart for the poor boat ! Has no-one heard of the term 'trim' ?!

Some Anderson owners get seduced by the idea of 'more power must be better in an outboard', but the answer is a light enough engine to get in and out of the well without killing oneself.

I once had a look at a Julian Everitt one-off design 25' racing boat; she had a large bridgedeck above a well, and as the ( Seagull ) outboard was raised it closed aircraft undercarriage style doors in the bottom.

This seems to me like one of those 'good ideas in the pub' which won't work in real life, the slightest intrusion by mud or any foreign object and the whole system fails !

I had a look at a Hunter Horizon 23 recently, the outboard is raised into a cockpit locker; neat, but by necessity rather offset to one side.

When I teamed up with the ex-M.D. of Anderson Rigden & Perkins - Patrick Sinker, yes he laughs about his name, a really top bloke - with the hope of building new Anderson 22's, I tried very hard to come up with a modern way of guiding the outboard on rails in and out of the well as I thought modern buyers would object to lifting the engine in & out, especially as we are now stuck with heavy 4 - strokes.

It can be done, but I didn't fancy a complicated rail system; looking back, I think this would be the answer though, I envisaged a sytem where the outboard lifts straight out onto a tray, which then went sideways into the cockpit locker.

The Anderson 22 as now has a fairing plug for the well so that the hull is flush low drag with the engine stowed; for anyone doubting this arrangement in emergencies, I can say from experience the engine can be fitted and going in very short order if required !

I really fancied an electric unit, ( probably influenced by my time working on the French canals ) but long chats with German engineers convinced me it wasn't feasible on an Anderson, one would have to design a boat with this in mind from the outset with batteries making up a large part of the ballast, U-Boat style...

While some Anderson 22's have an inboard engine - varying from petrol Vires to BMW diesels - I firmly believe an outboard in a well is the best compromise for this size of boat, ( and leaves the large space under the cockpit free to stow things like inflatable dinghies ) a 2 stroke Mariner 5hp gets my boat to hull speed, anything bigger and heavier is self defeating.
 
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Seajet said:
Hang on a minute; a 50kg outboard on a 23' boat ?
Click to expand...

Look, I didn't bloody buy it.. :D

However do consider that the boat is now minus it's Iron block inboard engine and yes the O/B is mounted about 4ft further back, I doubt it's much 'out of trim' compared to the I/B
 
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